Have you ever wondered what happened to the Templars?
Of course, many would say that they were destroyed by the Church and others may say that they evolved into any number of "Secret Societies" that are still around today, running the world from behind the scenes, hanging out in mystical places like Scotland's Rosslyn Chapel or Montsegur in the Langued'oc Province of Southern France, just waiting until the time comes for them to take over the world and set things aright. Just for fun, let's say that they are still around and that they are a "Secret Society". And let's imagine just for starters that when the original Knights plundered Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem, they found more than the Holy Grail and the Ark of the Covenant. What if they actually learned the alchemical secret of the "Philosopher's Stone" that turns lead into gold or found the original Emerald Tablets of Thoth, the Atlantean god/king who allegedly buried his spaceship under the Great Pyrimid at Giza? But let's give their story an added kick by making some of them immortal and giving them all the character and qualities of heroic sword-wielding Crusaders with a lot of time on their hands and an army of mortal men at their disposal. Would that make an interesting basis for an absorbing tale of adventure with endless possibilities? All we would need is a few Dragons. Right? Stretch your imagination just a bit further and imagine that these fellows are bound to follow the Ancient Primitive Rule of the Order of the Poor Knights of Solomon's Temple which is just a bit monkish in nature. Let us further assume that simply being immortal does not make them immune to the mental anguish and woes of mortals. Nor does it guarantee against physical injury. The Red Cross of Gold is just such an imaginary Order of Templars. They are governed by a twelve man immortal Council and they work completely outside the realms of the mundane world, protecting the ancient secrets of which legends are made. From time to time, they cross paths with people outside the Order. This is to be expected of course as the world grows ever more crowded, but the results can sometimes be quite devastating to both parties since the Knights have developed some peculiar notions about what is right and what is wrong over the years.
The members of the ruling Council are limited to the privileged few who manage to keep their heads on their shoulders in spite of life's daily rigors. Some of them have become proficient at survival, even dating back to the Fall of Jerusalem to the Saracens in 1187. Each member of the Council has specific duties and/or holds ancient mysteries which are passed on to faithful apprentices in case of Death...and in their case, we are talking Death with a capital "D". Wait a minute, you say, I thought they were supposed to be immortal! Well, yes they are, but even immortality is materially finite. Are we not all immortal? These guys must not only tend to matters of spiritual nature, they must also take care of their physical bodies, that is to say, they must keep it in one piece and while Immortality is a nice perk, it would not be so nice if one had to live it in two or more pieces. See what I mean? Now let's suppose that one of the Council members has a nasty run-in with an eccentric group of people that he falls in with while on a mission down in Texas. Yep, that's right, Pilgrim. I said Texas. What was an immortal Templar Knight doing in Texas, you ask? Well, I'll tell you. He happens to be the Order's assassin and he's looking to assassinate somebody, but things can go very wrong in Texas. Especially when you suddenly wake up without the slightest idea of who or where you are and what are you doing there. I'm afraid that's all I can tell you about it. Oh, yeah, there's a love story interlaced in there somewhere, but it's not exactly romantic. It's more like erotic warfare than a love affair. Now for some visual aids:
Does this make you homesick for the past? This? Perhaps even this?
You know what I mean. It's that weird sensation that makes you feel homesick for places you've never even been. If you are searching for Novel Answers to life's mysteries, or more precisely, Answer Novels that explain all those nagging mysteries like:
"Just where have all the faeries gone?"
OR
"Just what is the Secret of the Holy Grail?"
then Brendan Carroll's Red Cross of Gold Series is what seriously intelligent, mystically inclined, romantically hysterical readers who believe in everything really need.
Does this make you homesick for the past?
This?
Perhaps even this?
